LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The world has been left in shock and deep sorrow upon hearing the news of Tina Turner's death at the age of 83. Despite the heartache, it's comforting to know that she found the love and support she deserved in her second husband, music mogul Erwin Bach. Throughout Tina's health challenges, Erwin stood by her side as a pillar of strength.
The couple's love story began when they first met at an airport in Germany, where Erwin had come to pick Tina up for a concert. Tina has often described their encounter as a moment of love at first sight, where her heart raced and her hands trembled. Their 16-year age difference didn't stop the couple from taking their relationship to the next level. Tina's memoir is filled with heartfelt accounts of her romance with Erwin. Here is an excerpt that captures the essence of their relationship.
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Tina Turner dead at 83: ‘Simply the Best’ singer got lucky in love 2nd time around with Erwin Bach
'So this is what they call love at first sight'
"Erwin and I had first met 28 years before. At the time, I was traveling the globe with my Private Dancer Tour, which left me with very little time for a personal life," Tina wrote in her memoir 'Tina Turner: My Love Story' as per Daily Mail. "As my manager, Roger, and I flew into the city, I was tired and a little down, thinking of the grueling schedule ahead. We were walking through the airport when a young man stepped out from behind a column to greet us. I thought he might be a fan, but Roger greeted him warmly. Erwin Bach, an executive from EMI, my record company in Europe, had turned up to deliver a surprise gift to me from Roger — a new Mercedes jeep, the hard-to-get G-Wagon. But the real surprise wasn't the car, it was the man. My heart suddenly started to beat BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, drowning out all other sounds. My hands were ice-cold. So this is what they call love at first sight, I thought. Oh my God, I am not ready for this."
'There's something about a man's hands'
Continuing, she wrote, "Roger hopped into a waiting limousine, while I got into the G-Wagon with Erwin so he could tell me all about it while driving me to the hotel. I studied his profile. He was young — about 30, I guessed — and he was very pretty, though not in a conventional way. Dark hair, really great hands. There's something about a man's hands. Suddenly, I felt very insecure about my looks. I was wearing an Issey Miyake sweater with leather jeans — rock 'n' roll stuff — and my hair was big, big, big in those days. But if you ask me, I didn't look so good and I doubt that Erwin found me attractive. Oh, and if the hair wasn't enough of a turn-off, I was 46, divorced and the mother of two sons and two stepsons, who were now practically men themselves."
'I want you to make love to me'
"Later — much later — I found out that he'd felt the same inexplicable electrical charge. When he looked at me, he said, he didn't see the 'star' or my skin colour or any other details. He just saw a very desirable woman. In the G-Wagon, our conversation was a little strained. We managed to chat haltingly about the dashboard and other innocuous subjects until we got to the hotel. After saying goodbye, I threw myself on my hotel bed and thought, 'Gosh, he's wonderful. Really wonderful. What do I do now?'" She added.
Turner recounted a pivotal moment when she shared, "I said to myself, 'I don't care. I'm just going to ask him'. 'Erwin', I whispered, 'when you come to America, I want you to make love to me'. He turned his head slowly and just looked at me as if he couldn't believe his ears. I couldn't believe what I'd said either!"
The singer continued, "Eventually, Erwin did come to Los Angeles on business and I met him again at another dinner. I invited everyone back to my house afterwards, and that's when our real romance began. Music was playing, the other guests drifted away, the kissing began and we kissed all the way to the bedroom. Erwin stayed with me that night. The next morning, he was scheduled to go to Hawaii on a business trip. I thought about him constantly for two days — and then he called, casually mentioning that his trip had been canceled."
'From now on, wherever Erwin was would be my home'
After a few months had gone by, fate brought Erwin Bach back into Tina Turner's life while she was promoting her album 'Private Dancer' in Basel, Switzerland. The memories and emotions flooded back as she encountered him once again. During the holiday season, while staying in a rented house in Gstaad, Tina extended an invitation to Erwin and a few others from EMI to visit. To her delight, Erwin arrived alone, donning a quirky German hat and emanating a captivating masculinity that Tina couldn't resist. "I'd made up my mind to pack up and move in with him. From now on, wherever Erwin was would be my home. Thus began my love story with a man who was 16 years younger than me. But that was never an issue in my mind, then or now. The world may view Erwin as Tina's 'younger man' but the truth is that, at heart, he's really 60 and I'm 16. He's always been an old soul. And he's much more mature than I am: he thinks ahead and exercises caution, while I'm more likely to leap without looking."
